Prieure de Sion Posted January 21 · Member Share Posted January 21 I don't know what you call it in America, in Germany we call something like this "idiot's luck". And I can boast that I always have such "idiot luck" - I buy coins and often don't even notice that there is something "special" about the coin. Sometimes more special, sometimes less. Today I accidentally bought a Geta at auction because I just thought the portrait was beautiful and because I like the coins from Laodicea. Then I saw in the description (only after purchasing) that there was a legend error. Instead of GETA just a GEA. The Syrian engraver simply left a T there. Publius Septimius Geta; Reign: Septimius Severus Mint: Laodiceia ad Mare, Syria; Date: 202 AD Nominal: Denarius; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19.5mm; Weight: 3.48g Reference: BMC 751; Reference: Cohen 83; Reference: RIC IV Geta 98 Obverse: Bust of Geta, bare-headed, draped, right Inscription: P SEPT GEA(sic!) CAES PONT (insteat of P SEPT GETA CAES PONT) Translation: Publius Septimius Geta, Caesar, Pontifex [Maximus] Translation: Publius Septimius Geta, Caesar, [high] priest Reverse: Minerva, helmeted, draped, standing left, leaning on shield, holding spear in right hand Inscription: MINERV SANCT Translation: Minerva Sanctae Translation: Minerva, the sacred 16 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarco Posted January 21 · Member Share Posted January 21 Here's my first coin received in 2024. Although I actually acquired it in Leu Web Auction 28 in December, it just arrived last week. Domitian, AD 81-96. AR Denarius, 3.5 g, 18.2 mm, 12 h. Rome mint, AD 88. Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII; Head of Domitian, laureate, right. Rev: COS XIIII; Legend and column inscribed LVD SAEC FEC within laurel wreath. Ref: Sear RCV 2725, RIC II, Pt. 1 (2nd ed.) 604. Acquired from Leu Numismatik, Web Auction 28, Lot No. 3424, 11 December 2023. This type commemorates the secular Games, celebrated in Rome by Domitian in October of AD 88. 14 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 21 · Supporter Share Posted January 21 I had a bit of buyer's remorse after I won this coin but then it arrived and all of that remorse went right out the window. Obviously, I bought it for the Victory reverse but the portrait of Verus really was the icing on the cake. It is worn but still looks great IMO. Lucius Verus 168 AD Sestertius, 32mm/29.65g Obverse: L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate head right Reverse: TR POT VIII IMP V COS III S-C, Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm 15 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted January 21 · Supporter Author Share Posted January 21 8 minutes ago, Furryfrog02 said: I had a bit of buyer's remorse after I won this coin but then it arrived and all of that remorse went right out the window. Obviously, I bought it for the Victory reverse but the portrait of Verus really was the icing on the cake. It is worn but still looks great IMO. Lucius Verus 168 AD Sestertius, 32mm/29.65g Obverse: L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate head right Reverse: TR POT VIII IMP V COS III S-C, Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm Very nice! A good example of how grade isn't everything. That coin has a lot of eye appeal despite the wear. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 22 · Supporter Share Posted January 22 1 hour ago, CPK said: Very nice! A good example of how grade isn't everything. That coin has a lot of eye appeal despite the wear. I wish the Victory reverse was better...but then again, if it was, it would probably have sold for way more than I could afford. The portrait reminds me a bit of @lordmarcovan's "CIRCAM" designation. In hand, it is a bit lighter than the field around it which gives it that cameo look. Either way, it is a beautiful coin and I am super excited to have it in the FF collection now 🙂 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filolif Posted January 23 · Member Share Posted January 23 My latest ancients! A long time coming from December's Leu auction. Four that are striking similar! I just love the sharpness/relief/style of these dies. SELEUKID KINGS OF SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator, 312-281 BC. Tetradrachm, Seleukeia on the Tigris, circa 300-296/5. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. BAΣIΛ[EΩΣ] - ΣEΛEYKOY Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on low throne, holding long scepter in his left hand and eagle standing right with closed wings in his right; to left, NO. SC 117.6a. 11 8 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor robinjojo Posted January 23 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted January 23 Here's a fairly recent purchase, part of my ongoing bottom feeder efforts. I guess much of my DNA is descended from a cat fish somewhere along the way. This coin, not sold at auction, due very likely to the corrosion, especially on the reverse, still has a nice portrait of Septimius Severus. At £38.10 I figured, "why not?". Here's the original lot description. This coin was lot 985 in Roma E-Sale 114. Septimius Severus Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 196. L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP VIII, laureate and cuirassed bust to right / [P M] TR P IIII COS II P P, Victory advancing to left, holding wreath and palm; S-C across fields. RIC IV 725; C. 420; BMCRE 591. 17.63g, 31mm, 12h. Very Fine. Ex Don Ferrante Collection, Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 99, 7 July 2022, lot 995. 15 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth77 Posted January 23 · Member Share Posted January 23 It's very worn, the legends are mostly gone, but I really liked this Domitian from Caesarea Maritima: AE24 10.43g looks coppery and feels similar to an Imperial as, which is probably what it was meant to be. The reverse very likely is a reference to the First Jewish War, 10years later. 15 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 23 · Supporter Share Posted January 23 35 minutes ago, robinjojo said: Here's a fairly recent purchase, part of my ongoing bottom feeder efforts. I guess much of my DNA is descended from a cat fish somewhere along the way. This coin, not sold at auction, due very likely to the corrosion, especially on the reverse, still has a nice portrait of Septimius Severus. At £38.10 I figured, "why not?". For £38.10 I would've jumped on that! If you are a bottom feeder, that must make me the small little bugs and parasite that live in the mud and muck haha. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 23 · Supporter Share Posted January 23 This one is pretty worn and not much of a looker but who could pass up a provincial coin of Antoninus Pius with Melikertes-Palaimon surfing on a dolphin on the reverse? All for the bottom-feeder price of $12.25! Antoninus Pius AE20, 7.25g Corinth, Achaea Obverse: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS, laureate head of Antoninus Pius, right Reverse: C L I COR, Melikertes-Palaimon standing, right, on dolphin, right, raising arm 16 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victrix Posted January 24 · Member Share Posted January 24 Manage to get a minty Gallienus co-rule with Valerian for cheap. Rome mint, struck AD 255-256 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis JJ Posted January 24 · Supporter Share Posted January 24 (edited) This coin just arrived in the mail from Leu WA 28/29 in December. I'd already commented on its (modern) "object biography" in the provenance thread and may post about my "end-of-the-Julio-Claudians set" later. For now, just commenting that I'm thrilled by how good the coin looks in hand. One downside of big digital photos is that minor flaws may look major. (Of course, digital photos have many advantages over life-size print photos, and I'd always prefer to see both.) In the past two auction photos it looked pretty scratched up. CNG's photo from Triton XXIV (Merani, Jan 2021) : Even more so in the Leu WA 28, 2426 photo. From the Triton print catalog & CNG's video, though, I suspected it'd look better in hand. Indeed, it does (to my eyes). I can't see the scratches at all without magnification (I have good vision & collect tiny Greek fractions), and only barely with a normal magnifier. Edited January 24 by Curtis JJ 14 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_collector Posted January 24 · Member Share Posted January 24 My first coin with a Janus design, and I picked it up in January. 🙂 M. Furius L.f. Philus. 120 BC. AR Denarius (19.5mm, 3.93 g, 12h). Rome mint. Obv: Laureate head of bearded Janus Rev: Roma standing left, holding wreath and scepter; to left, trophy of Gallic arms flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side; star above. Crawford281/1; Sydenham 529; Furia 18; RBW 1105. Toned with iridescence. CNG Triton. January 2024. From the Kalevala Collection. Ex Roma E-Sale 60 (1 August 2019), lot 620. 19 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victrix Posted January 26 · Member Share Posted January 26 (edited) Bought some very bottom of the barrel ancients in a lot today. There's something I like about them being so worn,these surely circulated well over a century. One is is a trajan drachm and one of the antony denarii is of Legio Lybicae. Fun for 28 euro 😄 Edited January 26 by Victrix 14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 After @expat's thread on Valerian I the other day, I went looking for a VICT PART like @Curtis JJ shared. I didn't have any luck in that aspect but I did find a Valerian with a beautiful depiction of Victory that I didn't have. Better yet, it was from a seller who lives only a few miles from me. I threw a bid and won. The green on Victory's chest is a little darker in person than it was in the pictures. Overall I am happy with it. Do you think a soak in distilled water would help? Or should I leave it as is? Valerian I 253-260 AD Antioch Billon Antoninianus Obverse: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, radiate, draped bust right Reverse: VICTORIA AVGG, Victory standing right, looking left, holding wreath and palm branch. Goebl 1574; (reverse type not in RIC). 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamnaskires Posted January 27 · Member Share Posted January 27 This modest little lamp arrived this week. Late Roman/Early Byzantine c. 5th century AD 90.5 mm (l) (3.56") 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkeySwag96 Posted January 27 · Member Share Posted January 27 A humble camp gate. I don’t really collect Late Roman bronzes, however this was an impulse buy for me as the coin was in decent condition & decently priced: 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 29 · Supporter Share Posted January 29 This guy came today from Germany. Another barbarous imitative to add to the collection: Barbarous Imitative Follis Constantine I 310-337 AD Obverse: Laureate, cuirassed bust right in high-crested helmet, blundered legend around Reverse: Two Victories standing facing one another holding shield on altar decorated with N in center, blundered legend around 14 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailathacl Posted January 30 · Member Share Posted January 30 I have made a number of impulse purchases in my day, which hardly makes me unusual as a collector. But tonight’s the first time that I bought at auction simply because I liked the portrait’s hairstyle! This Parthian Kingdom AR Drachm of Vologases V (191-208 AD) brought together the man-bun of a Brooklyn barista, the side-buns of Princess Leia, and the pointy beard of Frank Zappa — don’t see that every day! It’s in pretty great shape and the tone is pleasing, but truly it was all about the hair tonight. AR 19mm 3.68g, Sellwood 86.3, Shore 448 18 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ela126 Posted January 30 · Member Share Posted January 30 I’ve had a few of these and they all seem to be terrible. This one had some pretty bad corrosion in the form and malachite and cuprite growths, but the coin itself was outstanding, so I attempt to remove. Overall a big improvement, even though I couldn’t get the repatination very good. Almost zero circulation wear on it! Heraclius, with Heraclius Constantine /610-641 AD). Constantinople AE Three-Quarter Follis (22.1mm 6.36g) Obv: Crowned figures of Heraclius, holding long cross, and Heraclius Constantine, holding globus cruiger, standing facing; star above. Rev: Large Λ; cross above, A/N/N/O to left, date to right XX; A below, CON in exergue SB 812 now I have 2 very ugly ones to get to a new owner. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarco Posted February 1 · Member Share Posted February 1 Here's my first purchase of 2024, from this past Saturday's Savoca Blue auction. FedEx delivered it yesterday afternoon. I'm always impressed with the speed of Savoca's shipping. Nero, AD 54-68. AE As, 10.2 g, 28.6 mm, 7 h. Lugdunum mint, AD 62-68. Obv: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX TR P P P; Head of Nero, bare, left; small globe at point of neck. Rev: S C; Victory, winged, draped, moving left, holding in both hands shield inscribed S [P Q] R. Ref: RIC I (2nd ed.) 544 or 606, BMC 387. Acquired from Savoca Coins, 192nd Blue Auction, Lot no. 323, 27 January 2024. This was an interesting one to attribute. I narrowed it down to two seemingly identical issues on OCRE; RIC 544 or RIC 606. I found a post on the German language Numismatikforum (https://www.numismatikforum.de/viewtopic.php?t=28844) that explained the situation, with help from Google Translate. It seems the two types are from two different Lugdunum emissions, RIC 544 from Emission IV and RIC 606 from Emission V. 17 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor robinjojo Posted February 1 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted February 1 (edited) Sometimes I purchase a coin because it is a good buy, but also it gives me a "project" in terms of improving its appearance without too much intervention. Here's a $15 acquisition from eBay, a crude and crusty follis of Justinian I, seated type, of Antioch. Justinian I, follis (40 nummi), 529-533 AD, Antioch, officina Δ. Sear 214 16.86 grams Obverse: Justinian seated facing on throne, holding scepter and globus cruciger right /Reverse: Large M; cross above, star to left, crescent to right; Δ in lower middle; +THEUP in exergue. This coin when it arrived was harshly cleaned, with much bare metal showing on the high spots. A brief treatment with diluted liver of sulfur evened the color to a great extent. Of course I will note on the coin's label that it has been repatinated. Edit: I noticed that the cruciger has an extra smaller cross above the larger one, something I don't see on my other examples. I guess this is one of the eight varieties. Edited February 2 by robinjojo 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ela126 Posted February 1 · Member Share Posted February 1 59 minutes ago, robinjojo said: Sometimes I purchase a coin because it is a good buy, but also it gives me a "project" in terms of improving its appearance without too much intervention. Here's a $15 acquisition from eBay, a crude and crusty follis of Justinian I, seated type, of Antioch. Justinian I, follis (40 nummi), 529-533 AD, Antioch, officina Δ. Sear 214 16.86 grams Obverse: Justinian seated facing on throne, holding scepter and globus cruciger right /Reverse: Large M; cross above, star to left, crescent to right; Δ in lower middle; +THEUP in exergue. This coin when it arrived was harshly cleaned, with much bare metal showing on the high spots. A brief treatment with diluted liver of sulfur evened the color to a great extent. Of course I will note on the coin's label that it has been repatinated. I’d say that’s a great improvement. Nice 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted February 1 · Supporter Share Posted February 1 On 1/30/2024 at 2:41 PM, ela126 said: I’ve had a few of these and they all seem to be terrible. This one had some pretty bad corrosion in the form and malachite and cuprite growths, but the coin itself was outstanding, so I attempt to remove. Overall a big improvement, even though I couldn’t get the repatination very good. Almost zero circulation wear on it! Heraclius, with Heraclius Constantine /610-641 AD). Constantinople AE Three-Quarter Follis (22.1mm 6.36g) Obv: Crowned figures of Heraclius, holding long cross, and Heraclius Constantine, holding globus cruiger, standing facing; star above. Rev: Large Λ; cross above, A/N/N/O to left, date to right XX; A below, CON in exergue SB 812 now I have 2 very ugly ones to get to a new owner. I don't think I've ever seen a great looking one of these. Your example is much nicer looking than mine, that's for sure! Mine also happened to be overstruck on Sear 808. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor robinjojo Posted February 1 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted February 1 (edited) 20 minutes ago, ela126 said: I’d say that’s a great improvement. Nice Thanks As a rule I avoid, or at least try to, going beyond the occasional cleaning with distilled water for a bronze coin. But, as this was a $15 coin, it was worth "improving" its color. Perhaps in another 500 years it will look even better! Edited February 1 by robinjojo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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